"Who do they bring in that’s better?" - Candice Warner on questions over her husband's spot in Australia's Test side
Australian opener David Warner's wife Candice has raised questions about who the selectors would bring in amid the left-handed batter's poor form in Tests. Candice reckons not just Warner, but every player in the Australian squad should be at their best.
Warner retained his spot for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India and the first two Ashes Tests. However, the southpaw risks losing his spot as concerns linger over his form, dating back to the tour of Indian earlier this year and the 2019 Ashes campaign on English soil.
While Fox League commentator Dan Ginnane stressed the need for Warner to find form and produce telling scores, Candice hit back by saying that all team members must perform well. She said:
"Absolutely, he does. But so does the whole team. If Dave doesn’t perform in that first Test, who do they bring in that’s better?
While Candice admitted concerns over her husband's form, she reckons there's no one waiting in line to take his place. She elaborated:
"I get all that. His form wasn’t great that last Ashes. Stuart Broad had his number I think ten times. So it didn’t look good for him. And he hasn’t performed well over there in the past. But who do you put in?"
Despite Warner scoring a double-hundred against South Africa in last year's Boxing Day Test, concerns over his place in the Australian team haven't dried up. The veteran averages only 26 in Tests in England with no century to his name.
"You never have to worry about where he’s at mentally" - Candice Warner on her husband
Candice further clarified that while the opener isn't struggling psychologically, she acknowledged that his husband might be a bit anxious about facing his nemesis Stuart Broad. Warner was dismissed seven out of 10 times by Broad during the Ashes in 2019. Candice stated:
"Mentally, he is fine. You never have to worry about where he’s at mentally. I think going to a country where you haven’t performed before there’s always going to be anxiety, and just thinking about Broad. I’m sure England won’t make the same mistake as they made out here, leaving Broad out of the first Test. I think that was a huge mistake."
While Usman Khawaja will start on the England tour alongside Warner, the Australian selectors have chosen Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris as the backup openers. The WTC final gets underway on June 7, with the Ashes set to start on June 16.